Šimun: An adequate response to climate change leads to more resilient health systems

Montenegro's priority is to integrate climate change risk assessments into health care planning, strengthen early warning and response systems, and ensure that climate change resilience becomes a key element of universal health coverage, said Health Minister Vojislav Šimun.

He made the statement, as announced by the Ministry of Health, at a meeting of the World Health Organization (WHO) Regional Committee for Europe in Copenhagen.

The statement states that Šimun, as part of a high-level technical briefing dedicated to the topic of climate and health, presented Montenegro's views on protecting health from the consequences of climate change and the possibilities of strengthening the resilience of health systems.

Šimun pointed out that Montenegro, as a Mediterranean and mountainous country, is increasingly exposed to frequent and intense heat waves, floods and extreme rainfall, the increased presence of infectious disease vectors, as well as the growing burden of mental health, especially among young people.

He emphasized that Montenegro is working intensively to strengthen the "One Health" approach, through better coordination of the human health, veterinary, environmental protection and food safety sectors, with the aim of increasing the climate resilience of healthcare institutions and improving energy efficiency.

"Going forward, our priorities are clear – to integrate climate change risk assessments into health care planning, strengthen early warning and response systems, and ensure that climate resilience becomes a key element of universal health coverage," said Šimun.

As he said, Montenegro remains committed to close cooperation with the WHO and partner countries.

"Because climate change knows no borders, neither should our response," said Šimun.

As stated in the statement, Šimun and members of the delegation, on the sidelines of the session, had several bilateral meetings with representatives of other countries, including Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia, Turkey, Malta, North Macedonia and San Marino.